Patents Examined by Frederick Ott
  • Patent number: 8681017
    Abstract: A visible light communication apparatus for a vehicle is provided. The visible light communication apparatus for the vehicle includes a vehicle optical receiver for receiving a visible light signal including a tunnel light node ID, a front passing vehicle node ID, and tunnel environment data, from a tunnel light and converting the visible light signal to an electric signal; and a vehicular visible light emitting diode unit arranged to face the optical receiver for converting vehicle speed and location information calculated by counting tunnel light node IDs received over a certain time, to a visible light signal and sending the visible light signal to the tunnel light. Using the vehicular visible light communication apparatus and the tunnel light having the visible light communication function, an efficient vehicular communication system can be built in the tunnel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Korea Electronics Technology Institute
    Inventors: Sang Yub Lee, Hyo Sub Choi, Chul Dong Lee
  • Patent number: 8680968
    Abstract: An access control system (10) comprises a server (12) suitable for controlling access; a biometric signal sensor (11); and an interface device (13) suitable for hooking up with the server and with the sensor, access being authorized to a person associated with a reference signal. The server and the interface device manage a common parameter that takes different values over time, and, respectively a first and a second non-invertible transformation function, these functions being parameterized as a function of the common parameter. The sensor senses a biometric signal and provides it to the interface device. At the interface device level, a transformed biometric signal is obtained by applying the first function to an element from the group comprising a characteristic emanating from the sensed signal and the sensed signal, then transmitted (14) to the server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Morpho
    Inventor: Hervé Chabanne
  • Patent number: 8669862
    Abstract: A device includes a processing module and a radio section. The processing module obtains location information regarding the device and converts it into a location signal. The radio section converts the location signal into a location wireless signal and transmits it within a local coverage area. A handheld device may use the location wireless signal to determine its location within a building.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventor: Nambirajan Seshadri
  • Patent number: 8665094
    Abstract: Disclosed is a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag-embedded casino chip. The RFID tag-embedded casino chip includes an Integrated Circuit (IC) and an antennae connected to the IC. The RFID tag has a frequency which is equal to or greater than 20 MHz and is equal to or less than 25 MHz.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: System Integration Technology Korea Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Sung Won Lee
  • Patent number: 8648725
    Abstract: An IPTV can receive a user name and present a screen enabling a user by means of a remote control to select health information categories, inputting numeric parameters into the selected categories which can be uploaded to an Internet server for analysis and viewed by the user for subsequent monitoring/charting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Lino Mitsuo Nakada
  • Patent number: 8648690
    Abstract: A sensor board includes at least one sensor in communication with a controller having a single board address to facilitate sensor polling by standard, product-independent modules of a circuit board for a computer server or network appliance. Miniature low-cost sensor boards can be placed in multiple locations on circuit boards without the necessity of being specified and integrated into the circuit board during the design phase to reduce or eliminate associated design risks or delays.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: Anton Bougaev, Aleksey Urmanov, James Britton
  • Patent number: 8648699
    Abstract: An item tracking system including at least one signal emitting element directly or indirectly attached to a portion of at least one item, wherein at least a portion of the at least one signal emitting element extends from the at least one item. The system further includes a container, including: (i) a support surface configured to at least partially support the at least one item and having at least one opening extending therethrough, which is configured to at least partially receive at least a portion of the signal emitting element therethrough; and (ii) at least one signal receiving member configured for communication with the portion of the at least one signal emitting member extending through the at least one opening. An item tracking container and method of tracking are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: Mobile Aspects, Inc.
    Inventors: Gino N. Iasella, Timur P. Sriharto
  • Patent number: 8648696
    Abstract: An image processing device includes an operation panel on which a plurality of operation keys is arranged, and a storage part that stores key information allocated to a predetermined operation key of a plurality of operation keys, and with which an user authentication information for authenticating a user authorized to use a function corresponding to the predetermined operation key and an authentication activation information in which conditions for user authentication to be executed when the predetermined operation key is operated are defined are associated. An authentication part reads the user authentication information and the authentication activation information based on the key information when the predetermined operation key is operated, and executes user authentication based on the user authentication information if conditions defined in the authentication activation information are met.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Eiichi Yoshida
  • Patent number: 8638190
    Abstract: In general, techniques and systems for defining a gesture with a computing device using short-range communication are described. In one example, a method includes obtaining position information from an array of position devices using near-field communication (NFC) during a movement of the computing device with respect to the array, wherein the position information identifies unique positions within the array for each position device from which position information was obtained. The method may also include determining sequence information associated with the position information, wherein the sequence information is representative of an order in which the position information was obtained from each position device, and performing, by the computing device, an action based at least in part on the position information and the sequence information, wherein the position information and the sequence information are representative of a gesture input associated with the movement of the computing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2014
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Roy Want, Yang Li, William Noah Schilit
  • Patent number: 8638198
    Abstract: An exemplary method includes a universal remote control device detecting user input requesting that the universal remote control device be operated in a learning mode, initiating, in response to the user input, operation of the universal remote control device in the learning mode, receiving, during the operation of the universal remote control device in the learning mode, a device code via an inter-device communication, and automatically configuring, in response to the receiving of the device code via the inter-device communication, the universal remote control device for remotely controlling a target device associated with the device code. Corresponding systems, methods, and apparatuses are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2014
    Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Inc.
    Inventors: Earl W. Vanderhoff, Frank A. McKiel, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8629763
    Abstract: An RFID transponder is provided which includes an automatic gain control (AGC) stage for amplifying a radio frequency (RF) signal and for providing an amplified RF signal. The AGC stage has a control signal indicating an increase of the amplitude of the RF signal. A demodulator is coupled to receive the amplified RF signal for demodulating the amplified RF signal. The demodulator provides a data signal. A burst detector is coupled to receive the control signal of the AGC stage and adapted to provide a start signal in response to a change of the control signal. A wake pattern detector is coupled to receive the data signal and the start signal. The wake pattern detector is adapted to detect a predefined wake pattern in the data signal after having received the start signal and to issue a wake signal if the predefined wake pattern is detected for switching the RFID transponder from a first operating mode into a second operating mode having higher power consumption than the first operating mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2014
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Deutschland GmbH
    Inventors: Andreas Hagl, Ernst Muellner
  • Patent number: 8610537
    Abstract: A vehicle-use key for storing and for acquisition of information on a vehicle. The vehicle-use key permits an individual to use the vehicle, to prevent the key from being taken away when the vehicle is stolen and for finding the stolen vehicle. A vehicle-use key is used for starting a vehicle, and is configured to include a radio communication part (RFID) which performs communication with an external communication device. By providing the radio communication part to the vehicle-use key which an owner of a vehicle carries with him/her, information (data) can be transmitted or received between the radio communication part and the reader/writer of a PC terminal installed in a dealer or the like by radio. Thus, vehicle history data, maintenance history data and the like on a vehicle associated with the vehicle-use key can be transmitted and received and stored when necessary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshio Yamagiwa
  • Patent number: 8587408
    Abstract: An item identification method includes providing a layer of material having an array of zones thereon. The array of zones on the layer is interrogated with a transmitted optical light beam. Light reflected by the array of zones is received. The light is reflected in a pattern that represents a code. At least one value of the code provided by the reflected light is determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventor: Philip Dunlap
  • Patent number: 8576046
    Abstract: One aspect of the present invention can include a playback device capable of externally receiving a playback signal for playing back a sound or an image, and capable of transmitting the playback signal to the playback device if it is detected that a predetermined electric source was externally supplied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Suncorporation
    Inventor: Yasuhiro Uozumi
  • Patent number: 8564412
    Abstract: A total number of transponders in an interrogation field is estimated or determined based on demodulated baseband direct and quadrature components from a plurality of collided responses from multiple transponders, including collided responses from which information encoded therein cannot be recovered, and would conventionally be discarded. A query or Q value may be set without an a priori knowledge of the actual number or even approximate number of transponders in the field of the interrogator or reader. Such may allow transponders to be quickly and efficiently singulated, for example in a single pass, and information read from and/or written to singulated transponders.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: Intermec IP Corp.
    Inventors: Pavel Nikitin, Venkata S. Kodukula
  • Patent number: 8564400
    Abstract: The disclosure provides an HVAC data processing and communication network and a method of manufacturing the same. In an embodiment, the network includes a user interface and a system device. The user interface is configured to publish a privilege request message to a data bus. The system device is configured to receive messages via the data bus and to store configuration data in nonvolatile memory. The system device is further configured to enable a privileged operating mode not normally available to a user of the network in response to the privilege request message.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: Lennox Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Wojciech Grohman, Darko Hadzidedic
  • Patent number: 8558700
    Abstract: An electric seal includes a lock member having a compartment and an orifice communicative with each other and having a spring blade, a latch device engaged in the lock member, an antenna device having a segment engaged with the spring blade, a lock shaft engageable through the orifice and into the compartment of the lock member and lockable to the lock member with the latch device, and a circuit board attached to the lock shaft and having an RFID chip coupled to an electric circuit, the electric circuit includes a contact for selectively engaging with the upper segment of the antenna device and for electrically connecting the electric circuit to the antenna device when the lock shaft is engaged into the orifice of the lock member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Inventor: Chih Chuan Chen
  • Patent number: 8558658
    Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for configuring a security system. The method includes the steps of providing a plurality of configuration files on a computer readable medium where each configuration file defines an access control system or integrated security system and each configuration file is different than any other configuration file of the plurality of configuration files, presenting the plurality of configuration files to a person on a display, a configuration processor receiving a selection of a configuration file of the plurality of configuration files from the person and the processor automatically configuring an access control system or integrated security system in accordance with the selected configuration file.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Aneesh R Kumar, Arunachalam K Sundararaman, Nithyanandhan G Govindaraj, Vinay V Venkatesh
  • Patent number: 8542088
    Abstract: A method for monitoring devices which are activated by electrical pulses, characterized in that first pulses which are transmitted to the device are counted, in that second pulses which are received by the device are counted, and in that the numbers of first and second pulses are compared with one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: Knorr-Bremse Systeme Fuer Nutzfahrzeuge GmbH
    Inventor: Nusret Dagtekin
  • Patent number: 8519867
    Abstract: The system and method of the present application includes a wireless transmitter adapted to receive physiological signals from a patient and to wirelessly transmit the physiological signals to a receiver, where a display device prepares the physiological signal for display on a display monitor. In one embodiment, both the wireless transmitter and receiver further include an estimation algorithm module. The estimation algorithm module in each of the wireless transmitter and the receiver calculate a physiological signal based on a collected signal. The system displays the calculated, estimated signal unless the error of the estimated signal reaches a predetermined threshold. When the estimated signal is being displayed, no transmission from the wireless transmitter is necessary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Michael J. Palmer, Matthew Grubis